


The Stars Have Nothing On You

by pinegreenapples



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Jack has motion sickness, M/M, Shenanigans, Trains
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-15
Updated: 2016-07-17
Packaged: 2018-07-24 03:21:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7491417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinegreenapples/pseuds/pinegreenapples
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack's never been fond of trains.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is based off a tumblr post.  
> http://northeasternwind.tumblr.com/post/147368144358/im-sorry-this-might-not-be-the-way-you-imagine-it  
> I promise at some point I'll figure out how to properly code links.

Jack hated trains. He hated the way they rocked with every single bump, the way they roared across the tracks louder than a fucking thunderstorm; to him it was abhorrent. 

It probably didn’t help that he had motion sickness and watching the world blur beneath him faster than seemed possible was enough to set his head pounding and his stomach cartwheeling.

He’d spent the last few hours curled in a ball on his train bunk, smelling the unfamiliar fragrance of the bedding. The flowery scent was starting to get to him but at this point he really didn’t trust his stomach enough to get up and move. Hell, he doubted he could twitch a finger without emptying his dinner onto the floor. Not for the first time Jack wished Dramamine had a better effect on him.

He debated the pros and cons of reaching for the melatonin sitting on the small pullout table next to the head of his bunk. After a few minutes without any large bumps, Jack felt like he could reach for the sleeping drug without woofing his cookies and raised a shaky arm to grasp the bottle. His fingers felt around until they found the pills and Jack popped one in his mouth without water. He’d gotten so used to taking pills for things like this he could take a pill without water if needed. 

The first time he’d done it, Reyes had looked at him as if he’d said he’d killed ten puppies for fun and called him a sick fucker. Jack spent ten minutes laughing so hard his gut hurt and tears spilled out his eyes. If his intake of pills without water happened to go up after that, clearly he was busy on a mission and didn’t have access to water.

Jack put the bottle back even as he felt his stomach roil. He closed his eyes and prayed that the melatonin would work quickly.

***

When Jack awoke, he felt marginally better. Not much, but it was manageable enough that he was able to do more than lie in a ball and moan. 

He sat up and stared at the floor glassy eyed from sleep. After a few moments of observing the patterned carpet, Jack scrubbed a hand over his face and checked the time. His watch told him it was just after midnight. A glance up told him Reyes was still asleep in his bunk. For a minute, Jack was envious of the man’s position- he knew it was going to be a while for him to fall back asleep if he did at all- but he shook it off.

Jack stood up and slipped his jacket on before shuffling out the door of the compartment. He made his way down the car to the back door and gave it a push. The outside world greeted Jack with the harsh sound of the train’s engine and almost complete darkness save for a small mounted light on the wall of the train. Jack shut the door behind him and stepped out to press himself against the railing. The wind nipped at his nose and ruffled his hair, letting it fall into his eyes.

The scenery sped by dizzyingly and Jack could barely make out the rough outlines of trees. They still had their leaves but not for long, it was mid October. Through the thickets, Jack could see pale constellations. The night was unusually clear and he found himself lost in the beauty up there.

Jack briefly wondered if Winston’s view of the stars from the moon had been any different from his now. He decided it probably wasn’t.

“Gorgeous out tonight.” A voice rasped, still laced with sleep.

Jack jumped a mile as his eyes found Reyes. He looked up again before responding. “Yeah.”

“You rarely ever see the stars so clearly nowadays.” Reyes joined him at the railing, eyes upward.

“At home we could,” Jack admitted, “My Dad and I used to go and try and name as many constellations as possible.”

Reyes snorted. “Country hick.” He murmured, albeit fondly.

“City slicker.” Jack countered, turning his face towards to Reyes. He recoiled slightly when he found Reyes’ face to be a hairsbreadth away. 

They stood there for a moment and Jack saw something in Reyes’ eyes he couldn’t quite place before the man leaned farther and brushed his lips against Jack’s.

Jack’s eyes widened and he moved on reflex, his hands already atop Reyes’ chest. Within seconds, Jack was alone on the balcony as Reyes lay stunned on the tracks behind. He had to stifle a snicker as Reyes sat up looking completely scandalized which rapidly turned into horror as the train slipped further away.

Jack did laugh as Reyes scrambled to his feet and sprinted after the train. Only once Reyes was within a few feet of the train did Jack finally go back to their compartment. For the rest of the night he slept like a baby despite all the curses to his lineage.

The next morning after Reyes finished putting on his coat, Jack pushed him up against the wall and kissed him fiercely. When he broke away, Reyes looked floored and Jack couldn’t help but smirk as he left the compartment. And a minute later when Reyes joined him in the dining car, still looking dazed as hell, Jack smirked a little more smugly at his pancake smiley face.


	2. The Stars, The Balcony, and the Bittersweet Taste of You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things come full circle.

Winston had gotten wind of a Talon operation that was happening in Northern France. Apparently they had plans to steal something off a train shipment. Of course that meant that Soldier 76 along with a couple others had taken a jet to France and spent the last few days on reconnaissance. Fortunately, Winston’s sources were able to narrow down their search and they found the shipment Talon planned to hijack.

The only kink was that they found it just as Talon did. The fight had been fairly well matched but slowly his team began to take the upper hand. The agents Talon had brought were slowly dwindling and 76 was confident they’d win.

As he leaned out from the cover of the wall he’d been using to take a shot at a particularly persistent agent, 76 saw the tail end of black smoke dissipate through the door leading to the shipment. He swore violently as he realized that Reaper was going after the package. A blast from that irritating agent forced 76 back behind his wall. After a moment of heated debate with himself, Soldier 76 broke cover again and shot the remaining Talon agents he could see before making a break for the door. 

The next compartment was noticeably cooler and a little more cramped. Boxes, crates, and suitcases all lay piled in soft nets to keep them from falling. The soft clank of his boots felt eerily loud over the rumble of the train in what seemed to be an unoccupied car.

Soldier 76 reached the end of the car without any sign of the man he’d seen enter. 76 knew this was the last car on the train and unless Reaper had jumped off the train, he had to still be in the car. 

Soldier 76 turned just in time to see black smoke coalesce into Reaper. He got off a shot before Reaper batted his gun away. 76 lunged for the other man and they both went tumbling. 

They wrestled and Reaper’s claws managed to rip away his mask. Soldier 76 got in a lucky punch and then they were both maskless. 76 hesitated at the sight of his resurrected ex and Reaper took the hesitation to shove an elbow into his solar plexus. 

76 rolled away from Reaper, gasping desperately for air. Reaper stood up and raced to what Soldier 76 could only assume was the shipment Talon wanted. He forced himself up and after the other man. 

Reaper was pulling a small vial out of a briefcase when Soldier 76’s shoulder bowled him directly into the door behind him. The two men went tumbling again as the door gave and they landed upon the caboose’s balcony.

The impact of the metal railing forced a grunt out of Reaper and he was winded for a few seconds. Despite his Reaper-sized cushion, Soldier 76 felt the air leave his lungs before he devolved into a fit of hacking coughs. The body check had taken more out of him than he thought. Although, 76 mused ruefully, he wasn’t as spry as he used to be.

Reaper took the opportunity and reversed their positions with 76 now bent painfully over the rail. 76 groaned as the iron dug deep into his lower back. His hands scrabbled to find purchase on the smooth surface as he felt dangerously close to falling. Reaper chuckled softly.

“Oh, Jack,” He crooned as Soldier 76 struggled to break his hold, “You’ve gotten so old.”

“Go to hell.” 76 snarled. Reaper laughed at that, harsh and deep in a way that made 76 bristled.

“Y’know I can almost imagine that it’s just like old times.” Reaper leaned forward and grinned. 76 leaned as far back as Reaper’s grip would allow him and tried to turn his head. “The stars, a train, and a balcony. Almost makes me nostalgic.”

In one fell swoop Reaper pulled Soldier 76 up by his lapels and kissed him hard. 76’s hands moved to grasp the front of Reaper’s greatcoat and for a moment he was ten years younger. He had just come back from a successful mission and his boyfriend had greeted him with a passionate kiss for coming back alive. The world had faded away and it was just him and his boyfriend. Jack and Gabe.

The kiss ended just as abruptly as it had been initiated and Soldier 76 felt himself snapped back to reality as he stared into the red eyes of the man who once meant the world to him. Reaper smirked at him.

“I’d say no hard feelings but I’ve been waiting for this particular payback a long time.” He purred and then he  _ shoved.  _

Soldier 76 fell. He landed hard on his back and it was a few minutes before he could get up. He really was getting old, he thought dryly. When he did manage to sit up he uncurled his hand from the tight fist it was in. The delicate little vial was still nestled in his palm and 76 breathed a sigh of relief. At least he had stopped Talon from getting what it wanted, even if it wasn’t the thing he truly wanted to steal from Talon’s clutches. Soldier 76 stared wistfully at the receding train for a few seconds before finally standing up. He radioed his team and set out for their pick up point when he had confirmed that they had all made it out alive. Gabriel was a lost dream, he told himself, he couldn’t afford to dwell on the past. He had teammates who needed him now Soldier 76 reminded himself. 76 picked up his pace to a jog and didn’t look back once at the train.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be a cute fluffy sequel but then it just got rather sad towards the end, oops. Hope you'll all forgive me anyway!


End file.
